Insert Self, Beyblade
by Ryu Himora
Summary: Yet another Insert Self, this time an unlucky me shows up in the world of Beyblade.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to me. Questions?

Insert Self, Beyblade

By Ryu Himora

Ray woke in a concrete room, unaware of his surroundings. He looked around and saw the rest of the Bladebreakers -plus Hillary- all starting to get up. There was one more person, however. Someone he had never seen before. Tyson, however, was still asleep.

"Uugh, what happened?" Ray asked.

Kenny spoke up first. "Weren't we just on the bus?"

"I don't know about that, but I can tell you that I wasn't just in a storehouse."

All of the Bladebreakers turned to look at this person. They had no idea who he was, but one thing was certain - he was a serious beyblader. He had a professional launcher and ripcord, plus a launch grip they had never seen before. It was all held in pouches on what looked like specially made pants.

"Who are you?" Max asked.

"I am Ryu. I know who you guys are, but what I can't tell you is our location."

Before any of them could respond, a single speaker in the room coughed to life. It spat out an old voice that seemed past the age of caring.

"That's right, and unless you all comply with our demands, the seven of you won't be going home any time soon."

"Who are you?" Kai said.

"My name is unimportant. Just do as we say and this will soon be over."

"Come on, we have a tournament to get to." Max said.

"Change of venue. You'll be fighting on this island instead."

Tyson began to wake up. Ryu turned to the others. "I take it you all were about to defend your title as World Champions?"

Ray nodded. "But we got knocked out on the bus."

"Grr, what happened?" Tyson said. He got up and looked around, then stared at Ryu. "Hey, who's this guy?"

"He woke up here with us." Hillary said.

"Oh... Wait, what are these things?" Tyson grabbed a metal device attached to his left arm. He tugged on it a few times, but it wouldn't come off.

"Looks like some kind of tracking device." Ryu said. "You can see the antenna on its side."

"Very astute, Ryu. Now, all of you just wait there for the first battle."

"Oh, shut up!" Tyson grabbed Dragoon and launched him straight for the speaker. It impacted and blew it straight off the wall mounting. "Come on! We have to find a way out of here!"

As Tyson and the Bladebreakers ran up the stairs, Ryu casually followed them. He figured this organization had enough power to kidnap seven people without a trace, they wouldn't be so easy to escape from.

The Bladebreakers came up on a door. They smashed right through it - and almost ran straight off the edge of a cliff. The door led right outside to a very high terrace.

"There's no escape, Bladebreakers. Just do as we say."

"As if!" Tyson shouted. "If you don't let us go right now I'm gonna trash this place so bad you won't even recognize it!"

"Oh well then. If you won't cooperate, then we'll just have to call the experiment off..."

"You bet!" Ray said.

Ryu walked out onto the terrace.

"...So this entire base will self-destruct in three minutes. Have a nice day."

"I'm gone for thirty seconds and you're already blowing this place up?" Ryu asked.

"Grr... Come on, let's find a way out of here." Tyson said.

All seven of them went back into the room. They checked everything: Ceiling, windows, visible doors... They were all either welded shut or barred with solid steel plate. Ryu didn't seem to be worried.

"One minute to go..." Kenny said.

"Come on! Let us out of here!" Tyson shouted, banging against the main door several times. He gave up, frustrated. Suddenly, under his own weight, part of the floor caved in, probably because of all the impacts.

"You okay, Tyson?" Hillary asked.

"Owww, yeah, I'm fine. Hey, it looks like a mine shaft down here!"

"Really?" Max said.

"Yeah! There's even a mine cart!"

"Let's get going!" Kenny said.

They all piled into the cart, then Tyson pushed them along the track and jumped in when they had enough speed to keep going. They sped along for several seconds before they already had a problem: the track had a switch, and it wasn't activated on their side!

Kai launched Dranzer and hit the switch lever, forcing the track to align with theirs. It was close - they traveled over just a couple seconds afterward.

"Is it just me, or is this thing picking up speed?" Tyson shouted.

"We do seem to be accelerating!" Kenny answered.

"Hey, there's the end of the tunnel!" Ryu shouted. Indeed, there was a growing light in the distance.

Kenny checked his watch. "Three... two... one!"

The cave behind them imploded. rock tumbled just behind them... but it stopped before they were in danger. Hillary noticed the track up ahead... specifically, the end of it.

"Hey! This track doesn't go on much longer! Hit the brakes!"

Max noticed the lever next to him. He pulled on it with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. "Augh! The lever's stuck!"

Ray grabbed on with him. "We have to move it! Heave!"

The two of them combined managed to get the brakes engaged. The cart slowed down... slowly. Just as they were exiting the tunnel, they went up a small rise, and stopped just before tipping over the end of the rails.

"Phew... Well, we're out of there at least." Tyson said.

"So what's Ryu doing here?" Kai asked.

"Short and to the point." Ryu replied. "To be honest, I don't know. I don't have a BitBeast like the four of you, so what could they be after?"

Deep in the only urbanized area of the island, Doctor B. watched his seven captives with great attention. Only the sparse computer messages distracted him.

(Oh, don't worry Ryu. I know your little secret. That's technically the truth - your Spirit Dragon beyblade doesn't have a BitBeast... right now. But you're special. The Spirit Dragon BitBeast will appear for you when you need it. You are the most likely person for it to pick.)

The doctor motioned for their first opponent to appear. It was time to strike.

After walking for a few minutes, Ryu and the Bladebreakers came across a beystadium in the middle of a forest. Normally this would have been odd, but with as much as they had already been through that day, it didn't really surprise them. Tyson, however, had an idea.

"Hey Ryu! Let's see how good you are."

Ryu looked at the stadium. He hadn't really played in this type much; He was in America for a while when he'd picked up the sport. Still, a challenge was a challenge.

"Alright." He and Tyson walked up to the stadium. Ryu pulled out Spirit Dragon. It was a beyblade made out of mostly standard parts: a four-spike attack ring, medium-mass weight ring and left spin-gear. The spin-gear was Ryu's only custom part.

Ryu whispered to his blade. "This is our chance. We're going up against the world champ - let's do our best." The picture of Spirit Dragon on his bit chip looked fierce. It seemed to move as Ryu talked to it.

"Three!" Tyson shouted.

"Two!" Ryu responded.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

"Not so fast!"

Just before the two beyblades entered the stadium, a third one knocked Dragoon out and took its place. This one was a dark green, even the weight ring, and was partially blending in with the stadium. Some kid dropped out of the trees, wearing the same getup as the Team Psykik members did.

"What do you want?" Tyson asked.

"This battle is for Ryu!" The kid said. "And if he doesn't win, this part of the island will explode!"

"Fine by me! Now I don't have to worry about holding back!" Ryu said. "Spirit Dragon, go for it!"

"Go Chameleon!"

Launch RPMs

Spirit Dragon: 32000

Chameleon: 31500

Dragoon: 50100

Spirit Dragon took on an immediate offensive. He smashed into Chameleon several times and knocked it off balance, then circled around and flipped it right to the other side of the stadium!

"Yeah! That's how you do it, Ryu!" Max said.

"Don't get to excited!" Chameleon's owner said. Chameleon then started shifting somehow - then blended into the stadium completely!

"What? Where'd it go?" Tyson asked.

Kenny opened his laptop and flipped the camera over to the stadium. Dizzi booted and ran an analysis of Chameleon. "Don't overthink this one, guys, he's just spinning at a precise speed to use his magtram and leaving the visible spectrum!."

"Ha! No camouflage is perfect!" Ryu said. "Go find him, Spirit Dragon!"

Chameleon was going in a slow, intricate pattern around the stadium, but Spirit Dragon suddenly darted around in an unpredictable motion. Chameleon tried to dodge, but it wasn't fast enough while cloaked. Spirit Dragon eventually hit him, literally knocking the beyblade back into the visible light spectrum.

"Alright! Spirit Dragon, Esper Slash Attack!"

Spirit Dragon began glowing with a rippling white energy, then increased its rotation speed drastically. It started darting around because of the sudden power, then charged up the side of the stadium it jumped off the edge, then flipped in the air twice. The light it emitted focused to a thin ring around the attack ring, and it slammed right into Chameleon! Several pieces of it flew off as Spirit Dragon sliced them off. As the actual body of Spirit Dragon hit, Chameleon was launched out of the stadium!

"NO!"

Spirit Dragon wobbled a couple times, then straightened out and jumped into Ryu's hand. He looked at it with great pride, then focused squarely on the kid he had just beaten. He looked shaken and scared, then ran over to his beyblade, retrieved it, and took off as fast as he could.

"Wow! Nice job, Ryu!" Kenny said. "Did you get all that, Dizzy?"

"Sure did, I'm running an analysis now."

"Well, I can tell without fancy data processing that Ryu is a serious blader." Tyson said. I did have one problem with that battle, though."

"Yeah? What would that be?" Ryu asked.

"What was with you talking about holding back on me!" Tyson shouted. He looked genuinely angry.

"Heh. I probably wouldn't, but you might have not gone all-out on some random beyblader. You proved yourself the best in the world - don't let it get to your head." Ryu answered.

"Grrr... Come on, let's find a way off this island." Tyson said, and walked off. The others soon started after him.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Beyblade is a trademark of Takara.

Insert Self, Beyblade Chapter 2

By Ryu Himora

Ryu regained consciousness and looked around. The last thing he remembered was stepping on a piece of wood, then it clicked. He vaguely felt his body hit the ground, and then he ended up here. But where was here?

Ryu was underground - he could detect the faint scent of mushrooms and mildew. There was no light, so he must've been in some sort of underground cavern. His eyes began to adjust, but his low-light eyes still couldn't function in an area of zero illumination. Ryu checked his equipment and made sure everything was there, then stood up.

As soon as he did that, Ryu heard a banging to his right, with some highly muffled voices. It sounded like a fist banging on glass. Ryu didn't have a flashlight, be he could do the next best thing. He loaded Spirit Dragon and launched it - then began his Esper Slash, but kept it in the stage when it was gathering energy, which emitted a faint light field. He could see now.

Tyson and the rest of the Bladebreakers were trapped behind a glass barrier with no obvious exits. Tyson was banging on the glass and shouting, but the rest of them were sitting to side, Max and Ray with their ears covered. They obviously didn't see Ryu, their eyes just wouldn't adjust to that low of a light level.

Ryu walked over and lightly knocked on the glass. Tyson was stunned, and almost fell over when he saw Ryu.

"How long are you going to keep doing that? You can't shatter the glass."

"Yeah, well, shut up." Tyson said. "How'd you get out there, anyway?"

"I don't know. My guess is we were all brought here, but I'm probably going to have to save you." Ryu said.

As soon as Ryu said that, powerful flood lights erupted into life in the cavern. The Bladebreakers were blinded, but Ryu was looking away - he could slowly look toward them. As he did, Ryu saw yet another beystadium in the large room. Along with that, another Team Psykik member was standing next to it.

"Do I really have to fight you again?" Ryu said. Spirit Dragon went back up to his hand.

"That's right." Doctor B. said from the speakers. "But this time,if you don't win, your friends will suffer the consequences."

Ryu walked up to the stadium. "What makes you think this idiot can beat me?"

"This blader happens to be the best we have. So get ready to battle."

"If this is the best, then why didn't you send him against us already? If you're trying to capture our BitBeasts, then what would make you use substandard players?" Ryu reloaded Spirit Dragon and got in his launch position.

"Enough questions! Here's what you face should you fail!"

Tyson and the others heard a click in the walls to their sides, then they started moving in on them! The Bladebreakers started retreating from the walls, but fortunately they only moved in a few inches.

Ryu watched the event with extreme malice for whoever trapped them on this island. He would pay for all the crap they were put through.

"Alright. Let's do this!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!" Ryu shouted. "Let it rip!"

Launch RPMs

Spirit Dragon: 32000

King Trygle: 35000

"Go King Trygle!"

Spirit Dragon entered the stadium and was immediately attacked. He dodged two incredibly fast attacks right off the bat, but was hit by the third. He flew up and bounced off the side of the stadium, but landed perfectly back in. He scraped against the side for less than a second, then started circling.

"Oh no, watch out Ryu!" Tyson said.

Ryu smirked. "Heh. So you're kind of fast, but are you fast enough? Go Spirit Dragon!"

Spirit Dragon's bit chip glowed with the same rippling energy he used to light the room, then it expanded to the entire blade. The rotation speed jumped up, and Spirit Dragon started darting around the stadium in an intricate pattern.

"Esperrr Slaaash!"

Spirit Dragon launched itself off the side of the stadium, doing two flips in the air. The energy surrounding it focused to a thin blade around the attack ring as it fell toward King Trygle -

- Which dodged it easily. Spirit Dragon impacted the stadium and made a huge gash in the side, then bounced to the other half of the stadium and landed off balance.

"No! Get with it, Spirit Dragon!"

King Trygle came about and smashed into Spirit Dragon, knocking it clean out of the stadium. Ryu was stunned. No one had been able to dodge his special attack - or if they had, they were in no condition to hit back. This blader was a serious threat to Ryu.

Doctor B's voice once again reached their ears. "Come on, Ryu. I know you can do better than that. Summon your BitBeast!"

Ryu growled, then retrieved his Beyblade. "I don't have a BitBeast! You of all people should know that!"

"Alright, then. We'll give you some encouragement."

The walls around the Bladebreakers clicked, then started moving in again. This time cutting the space behind the glass in half.

"Come on, Ryu!" Ray shouted. "Go and show him who's boss!"

"Yeah!" Max shouted. "You don't need a BitBeast to finish this clown!"

Ryu grimaced. He looked at his launch assist, specifically at the picture of Spirit Dragon on the side. His mind was racing; Could he do it again? Ryu summoned the feelings that he had when Spirit Dragon first appeared. Then he remembered his need to help the Bladebreakers.

Something clicked in Ryu's mind. He looked up, startled, and he was suddenly in a grassy plain. There was a sound below his vision. Ryu looked down and saw Spirit Dragon spinning in the low grass. It sudden darted away. Ryu ran after it, not sure where it would go in this featureless dimension.

Ryu followed his Beyblade for several minutes. He was about to run out of energy when there was suddenly a large crater in the ground. He stopped at the edge.

Inside the crater was a large, light-blue transparent dragon. Ryu was stunned. It was looking at him with wonder, but also some familiarity. Ryu's beyblade circled him once, then jumped into his hand.

The dragon got up. With three massive steps, it lumbered toward Ryu and extended its long neck toward him. Ryu felt its' trust form him. He reached out and touched it on the side - the scales were smooth, and it felt soft rather than the harshness he expected.

The dragon closed its eyes, and bowed its head toward Ryu's beyblade. The nose touched the bit chip, and the entire dragon dissolved into tiny specks of light, then they all collected on the bit chip.

Ryu looked down, The picture of Spirit Dragon was no longer on his launch assist - Instead, it now resided on the bit chip. He looked back up, and saw the stadium again. The blader using King Trygle looked smug.

"Well, are you going to fight or let your friends die?"

Ryu stepped up to the beystadium again. He slipped the ripcord into the launcher and put Spirit Dragon on with a satisfying click. He looked squarely at his opponent, then put his launcher at the ready.

"Go show him who's boss, Ryu!" Tyson said.

"Hmm!" Kai stepped forward. "Be careful, Ryu! You don't know what you're getting into!"

The rest of the Bladebreakers were stunned. Kai was giving out advice? When did he suddenly become charitable?

"Three!" King Trygle's blader said.

"Two!" Ryu responded.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs

Spirit Dragon: 37000

King Trygle: 35000

Spirit Dragon landed and instantly charged forward. Right when it was about to hit, it darted to the right and circled around, hitting King Trygle in its dodge arc! King Trygle was launched to the other side of the stadium, and wobbled for a few seconds before recovering.

"That's the way! Go for it, Ryu!" Tyson said.

"Don't get too cocky!" the Team Psykik member said. King Trygle started spinning faster, and Spirit Dragon begun to be repelled away! Ryu tried to overcome the resistance, but it was too great. Spirit Dragon could not attack.

"What happened?" Ray asked.

Kenny opened his laptop. "Bad news! King Trygle activated his magtram! Ryu doesn't have the training to overcome it!"

"No..." Tyson started.

Ryu chuckled, then full on laughed. "It'll take more than fancy magnets to beat me! Spirit Dragon... ATTACK!"

Everyone but Ryu and Kai were stunned by what happened. The bit chip of Spirit Dragon started glowing, then a beam of light shot from it and dispersed, turning light blue and then turning transparent, then forming into a translucent blue dragon! It roared, and Ryu's beyblade sped up dramatically, enough to smash through King Trygle's magnetic barrier and throw it to the other side of the stadium!

"Now! Finish him off! ESPER BEAM SLASH!" Ryu shouted.

Spirit Dragon emitted more of the rippling energy it used so effectively. It gain launched itself off the side of the stadium and made two delicate flips in the air - but this time it did not collect the energy to a blade. A point of light collected outside the aura, then a slash of energy was launched at King Trygle, and it clean in half! The pieces spun together with their inertia, then flew apart at the seams. Th beystadium behind King Trygle, and some of the cavern wall, was unrepairable.

The Spirit Dragon BitBeast roared in triumph, then went behind Ryu and cut the glass holding the Bladebreakers into pieces with its long claws.

"Alright! Way to go Ryu!" Tyson said. Then he looked over. "Huh?"

Ryu was not standing in a proper battle position. His legs looked weak, his arms were limp at his sides, and his head was down. The Bladebreakers got out of their shrinking prison, then went up to Ryu.

"Hey man, are you okay?" Ray asked.

Ryu grunted, then the everyone noticed Spirit Dragon was still spinning. Ryu suddenly looked up, then he and Spirit Dragon let out a synchronized roar! The BitBeast went berserk, trashing the cavern walls, and Ryu fell to his knees, dropping his launcher and ripcord. His beyblade began circling the stadium, then a miniature tornado erupted from its center, causing a lot of wind to blow around the room.

Kai spoke up. "Tyson, fight him!"

He turned around. "What?"

"We have to get this bitbeast under control! It will only respond to force!"

Tyson looked at Kai for a few seconds, then at Ryu. He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them with renewed vigor. He took out Dragoon and set it in his launcher.

"Let It Rip!"

Dragoon entered the beat-up stadium and charged toward Spirit Dragon. It impacted, but Spirit Dragon didn't move much. Dragoon attacked several more times and pushed Spirit Dragon back, but its power wasn't going down.

"Man! What's it going to take to beat this thing!" Tyson asked.

"Spirit Dragon isn't tamed yet." Kai said. "Dragoon alone won't be able to do it alone. It takes more power than that."

"More..." Ryu muttered.

"Ryu!" Max shouted over the wind. "You need to control your BitBeast! Get up and tame Spirit Dragon!"

Ryu grabbed his launcher. He struggled to get up, but fell again. Ray and Max ran over, and Ryu managed to get to his feet with their help. "Tyson! I'm coming after you!"

"Come and get me then! Go Dragoon!"

The bit-chip of Dragoon glowed, and a beam of light shot out of it - which morphed and turned into the Dragoon BitBeast. Spirit Dragon looked at it, then they charged at each other. Their beyblades hit in the exact middle of the stadium and ground against each other as they collided and tried to push each other away.

Ryu and Tyson's beyblades pushed for a full minute. Neither was able to gain ground, but Ryu unexpectedly yelled. Spirit Dragon became surrounded with its energy aura, then shot Dragoon away. The BitBeast began glowing white. It split into thousands of pieces which recollected on the bit chip. The beyblade left the stadium, and Ryu caught it, then fell back to his knees.

"Is it over?" Tyson asked.

Ryu looked at Spirit Dragon. Its image was contained on the bit-chip, and he could feel the power running from it. He clenched it in his hand and looked at Tyson. "Yeah. Its over." Ryu got up shakily and walked over. "Thanks. I guess now we can truly have a good battle sometime."

Dragoon flew back into Tyson's hand. "You bet! I'm not going to forget that talk about holding back, though."

The two grabbed hands and clenched. They looked in each others eyes, as equals, and let go.

"Hey!" Hillary said. "That battle opened up a tunnel!" She pointed to the end of the room where Ryu's opponent once stood, and Spirit Dragon had knocked a hole in the wall, with light at the other end. All seven of them began walking through it.

Kenny's Battle Analyzer beeped. "Mr. Dickinson's waiting outside! Let's go!"

They all ran the rest of the way. Sure enough, when they all reached the end, a helicopter was just landing next to the opening. Ryu and the Bladebreakers piled in, and it lifted into the air, then took off for the mainland.

"Hello there! I'm terribly sorry for this! Oh. Who are you?" Mr. Dickinson said, after noticing the new arrival.

"I am Ryu. I was dragged to this here island with the Bladebreakers."

"He's a pretty good blader." Tyson said. "But it gets better - we helped him tame his BitBeast!"

"Wow! I bet that was exciting!"

Ryu nodded. "It was pretty exhausting, though. Is there anything to eat on this gyro?"

Dickinson gestured to a box on his right. "I brought some snacks just in case."

The seven kids began pigging out. Ryu visibly ate the most - he had just fought a dragon and won! Tyson had an idea - one that Ryu would probably like. He didn't know about the rest of the team, though.

"Hey Ryu... Would you be interested in joining the Bladebreakers?"

Everyone was silent. The only sound was the beating of the helicopter blades. Eventually, Ryu answered. "Pfffffft! Really! Even with Spirit Dragon, I doubt I'm as good as any of you!"

"Then we'll test you." Kai interjected. "The day after we get back, you'll battle each of us. If you win against someone, you're in." Kai looked at all their stunned looks. "I'm team captain. It's my decision anyway to let someone in. I think Ryu has the potential to be with us."

Ryu thought about it. It would be amazing to be part of the world champion beyblading team. But was he good enough? Well, they were about to find out.

"Alright. It's a deal."

Author's notes:  
This chapter was physically tiring to write. Maybe the battle was so intense that it started leeching my own energy.

Misspellings:  
Every other time I write 'Spirit Dragon' it comes out 'Spirit Dragoon'.

Bladefreakers

Wrote 'Jai' a bunch of times. Don't know how.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Beyblade is a product of Takara company/corporation/ industries/whatever. Not me.

Insert Self, Beyblade

By Ryu Himora

Chapter 3: This one's gonna be loooooong! Ryu vs the Bladebreakers!

UPDATED! 15% New Content!

_Ryu was running. He had just gotten a call on his cell phone from the school bullies - they had his friends, and would beat them up if he came wouldn't beat them up if he didn't come beat them up if he didn't battle them. It was a long shot. They would most probably cheat._

_Ryu had recently won a local beyblade tournament. He was the dark horse entry - no one knew that he had been training for quite a while with these toys. It was especially annoying for said bullies, who were slated to win as soon as they entered._

_To be fair, Ryu hadn't expected to win. He and Darion entered the stadium, and Darion immediately wailed on him. At first, Ryu had no defense for that high-intensity attack. But he saw a weak point in the attack patter. It took perfect timing, but Ryu was able to loop around at the critical second and knocked Darion's beyblade right out of the stadium._

_Now he wanted a rematch. And he'd get it, too._

_Ryu rounded the corner of his school building into the usually dark back alley. This time, however, flood lights blared into Ryu's eyes. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to adjust._

_Ryu heard Darion's voice. "So you're here. Let's get to it then."_

_"If I win, you let the others go."_

_Darion stepped into the light and smiled. "Of course."_

_The two of them stepped up to the beystadium. Ryu noticed something familiar about it. It looked like the same on they fought in in the tournament._

_"You stole this stadium?" Ryu asked._

_"Everything needs to be the same." Darion answered. "Now get ready!"_

_Ryu pulled out his Spirit Dragon. "I'm always ready for you!"_

_Both bladers got ready to launch._

_"Three!" Darion said._

_"Two!" Ryu answered._

_"One! LET IT RIP!"_

_Launch RPMs_

_Ryu: 21000_

_Darion: 23000_

_Ryu entered the stadium and immediately dodged. He couldn't let Darion begin his wild attack pattern, or he was in serious trouble. Darion would have obviously fixed it by now, although Ryu couldn't let himself get attacked to find out. He made an intricate five-point circle around the stadium, then noticed that Darion's blade, Mech Hyena, wasn't moving._

_"Huh?" Ryu said._

_"Got you!"_

_Mech Hyena dashed forward, striking Spirit Dragon on the side and launching it around the stadium. Ryu could not stop his momentum before Darion circled the other way and began his attack pattern. Ryu was being thrown in every direction, trying to fight back. But he just could not form any type of defensive strategy against it. _

_In Ryu's extreme concentration, he suddenly found himself on a white plane. Nothing else was there. Ryu turned around, and saw a blue spec, growing larger. He eventually saw a translucent blue dragon flying toward him. It roared, and it was about to hit Ryu-_

_Spirit Dragon's bit chip flashed. It started glowing, and a beam of light came out, which turned into the same blue dragon. Spirit Dragon's rotation speed increased dramatically, even as it was being hit by Mech Hyena. A thought entered Ryu's mind - a way to beat Darion._

_Spirit Dragon stopped fighting back. Instead of blocking each hit from doing damage, Ryu took the full force of the attack. Spirit Dragon's BitBeast cringed, but came back with a roar!_

_"What?" Darion shouted. Nobody had figured out his weakness this fast!_

_"Go Spirit Dragon!" Ryu shouted back._

_Spirit Dragon began glowing with a rippling white energy. It used the momentum from Mech Hyena's hit to launch itself off the side of the stadium. The energy aura collected into a thin white blade surrounding the attack ring. Spirt Dragon made two delicate flips in the air, then fell on Mech Hyena with the force of a diving falcon. They impacted, and Mech Hyena was knocked straight out of the stadium! _

_Darion watched as his beyblade flew by him. He couldn't believe it. He had lost TWICE? Only one thought went through his mind, revenge._

_"G- Go! Get him!"_

_Four other beyblades entered the stadium. The energy blade surrounding Spirit Dragon withdrew and reformed into an aura around to beyblade. _

_Ryu smiled. Four enemies at once? No problem!_

_"Go Spirit Dragon!"_

_Ryu's beyblade systematically attacked all four opponents, keeping each of them off balance. Eventually, they lost enough rotation speed that Spirit Dragon was able to push them into specific patterns! The four beyblades began running into each other as Spirit Dragon began running the entire show!_

_"SPIRIT TORNADO!"_

_Spirit Dragon stopped in the exact center of the stadium and spun even faster. The energy aura formed several spirals, then Ryu's four opponents were lifted and thrown right out of the stadium! Spirit Dragon remained spinning were it was, with a stunned Darion staring at it._

_"Well?" Ryu asked. "Unless you've got a BitBeast of your own, I'd say this battle's over." _

_Darion bowed his head. "You... You won. Let them go."_

_As Ryu's friends were released, Spirit Dragon shone white. It disintegrated into thousands of pieces, but instead of collecting onto the bit chip, it gathered in front of Ryu and began to take the form of a customized launch assist. Ryu caught it as it fell, and Ryu noticed the picture of Spirit Dragon on the assist itself. He looked in marvel at it, then the beyblade circled the stadium once and flew back into Ryu's hand._

_Darion walked over to Ryu. "This isn't over yet!" He said, pressing a finger firmly against Ryu's chest. "I'm going to find my own BitBeast, and THEN we'll see who's the victor!"_

Ryu awoke to the sound of a bokken swinging. He wondered how Kuno had gotten into this universe, but the he remembered crashing at Tyson's house last night. Ryu forced himself out of bed, even though he knew the attack wasn't aimed in his direction. Just as he was able to collect his beyblade gear, Ryu heard Tyson and his granddad arguing.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"You gotta keep sharp, dude! Just because you're sleeping doesn't mean you should be defenseless!"

Ryu chuckled, then the other two noticed him. "While this is amusing, it's not really what I expected from the world champion beyblader."

"Uhh, thanks?" Tyson said. "Well, we should get ready for today's match. You've got a tough road ahead of you today, Ryu."

Ryu nodded. "I'm ready for it."

"Well before you do so, bro, maybe you two oughtta eat first?"

"That would be nice." Tyson answered.

A while later, Ryu and Tyson were waiting for the other Bladebreakers to show up. Ryu was tense. Yesterday he had got his own BitBeast, and today he was auditioning to join the Bladebreakers! He wondered how much excitement would happen this week, and whether he could take it or not.

Ryu looked at Spirit Dragon. It had barely been a year since he started this sport. Most other people took several years to become as good as the company he was in. Ryu was about to take his One Shot at Glory. Even better, he had four chances! It took all of his self-control to stop an outburst of emotion.

"So Ryu, how about some practice before they get here?" Tyson asked.

Ryu broke his meditation and got up. "Sure. What do you have in mind?"

Tyson got Dragoon Storm ready for launch. "Chase me. A simple race shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Oh, don't try to get me riled up." Ryu said. "You got a deal, though."

"Alright! Let it Rip!" Tyson launched Dragoon and started circling.

"Let it Rip!"

Spirit Dragon landed and went around Dragoon's perimeter in the opposite direction. Tyson and Ryu stared at each other for a few seconds, then Dragoon sped off to the left. Spirit Dragon was close behind. It followed Dragoon around the entire yard for several minutes, never falling more than a few feet behind.

(Ryu... I hope I know what I'm doing by inviting you to join the team. Kai realized it, too. Don't fail me, or Spirit Dragon will be in danger.)

Tyson and Ryu stared into each other's eyes for several seconds. Then, Ryu saw something - a pattern in Dragoon's movements. He didn't know if it was some subconscious urge within Tyson, or he was trying to lead him on, but that didn't matter. Ryu had Spirit Dragon speed up, and right at a critical turn, smashed straight into Dragoon!

The two beyblade landed in the area between Ryu and Tyson. They both looked at their blades in surprise, then locked eyes again. Both of them nodded at the same time, and they got into better fighting stances.

"Go! Dragoo-!"

"Hey Tyson! What's going on?"

Right as Tyson was about to call out his attack, Hillary showed up behind him, yelling. He lost balance, and face planted on the ground. Ryu laughed, and Spirit Dragon flew back into his hands. Tyson got up and did the same with Dragoon.

"Grr, Hillary!" Tyson shouted. She was taken aback. "Why'd you have to interrupt like that? We were just getting into the battle!"

"If you just started, then what was I interrupting?" Hillary asked.

Tyson was dumbstruck. He tried to get something out of his mouth, but it just came out as incoherent babbling.

Ryu laughed again. "There's more to it, Hillary. We were doing some practice laps around the place, and I provoked him a bit, I guess."

"Oh... I see."

"Uh, yeah. What he said." Tyson managed to get out.

"Hey! Anyone home?" A faint voice said.

Tyson and Ryu looked at each other. "Yeah! We're back here!" Tyson shouted back. Max, Ray, Kenny, and Kai rounded the corner of the house.

"Alright! Now we're all here!"

Kai immediately stepped up to the beystadium. "I'm your first opponent, Ryu."

"Woah, Kai!" Max said. "Overkill much?"

"If he doesn't like it, Ryu can forfeit." Kai said. He got Dranzer ready to launch.

"Hah!" Ryu said. "I'm not giving up my chance to get into the world-champion team of Bladebreakers."

Kai almost smiled. "That's the idea. I will even the odds a little, however." He took Dranzer and removed the attack ring and wight disk, then replaced the MG core with a standard spin gear. He reassembled his blade and stood at the ready.

"Oh..." Kenny started. "That's right, Ryu doesn't have an MG core. Come on, everyone take yours out."

The reast of the team looked at each other nervously, then did the same with their beyblades. It felt like they were removing a part of themselves.

Kai held his launcher out over the stadium. "You ready?"

Ryu took out his launch assist, then something else: a metal attachment. He put it on the trigger guard of the launch assist, then slipped the extended ripcord in and slapped Spirit Dragon onto the launcher.

"Three!" Ryu said.

"Two!" Kai responded.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs

Dranzer: 52000

Spirit Dragon: 37000

Spirit Dragon and Dranzer entered the stadium and charged head on. At the very last second, Spirit Dragon dodged left and made a fast circle, hitting him in the worst place. Dranzer skidded to within a couple inches of leaving the stadium, then recovered and got back in the fight.

"Wow! Nice opener, Ryu!" Max said.

"Humph." Kai said.

Kenny opened his laptop. "How's it look, Dizzi?"

Dizzi booted and called up current data on both Dranzer and Spirit Dragon. "Looking good, chief. Both blades are spinning strong."

"Can you calculate the win chances?"

Dizzi made several on screen calculations, but hid the results. "Uhh, who are you rooting for?"

Tyson walked over. "So chief, got any predictions yet?"

"Just hold on a sec." Kenny said. "Dizzi, just show me the stats."

"You're not going to like it." Dizzi revealed the power ratios of both beyblades, showing that Ryu had a twelve percent chance of victory. Tyson, Ray, and Max went "Awww..."

"Kai's just too good of a beyblader." Kenny said. "Ryu's only chance is to release Spirit Dragon without Kai releasing Dranzer in turn."

"Well..." Tyson started. "So what about the statistics? Go for it Ryu!"

Spirit Dragon took several bad knocks from Dranzer. Ryu grunted, then managed to get inside the barrage of attacks and push Dranzer back. It didn't take long, however, for Kai to break the hold and get right back on the offensive.

"Grr..." Ryu said. He had to prove himself to Kai. Show that he was worthy of becoming a Bladebreaker. Ryu took a deep breath and repositioned his legs. He closed his eyes for a second, listening to the two beyblades battling. Ryu heard the pattern of the hits, and then noticed something familiar about the timing. His eyes shot open, staring squarely at Kai. "Go Spirit Dragon!"

Kai was charging for another hit, and he impacted. But instead of fighting back, Ryu took the full force of the blow! Spirit Dragon flew around the stadium and circled back to the off balance Dranzer.

"Now! ESPER SLASH!"

Spirit Dragon used the momentum to launch itself off the side of the stadium. It again began to glow with the same rippling aura of energy as it ascended in the air. The aura collected to a thin blade around Spirit Dragon's attack ring, then it finished the arc and fell straight at Dranzer!

"Yeah! Go for it Ryu!" Ray shouted.

Kai's eyes widened at the side of Spirit Dragon's attack, but they narrowed again as he focused back on Dranzer. He forced his blade to do small circles in its current pattern, which stabilized Dranzer on its axis! Kai darted away milliseconds before Spirit Dragon impacted!

"What!" Tyson said.

Ryu gasped. Spirit Dragon hit the side of the stadium and barely managed to land, but made a serious scrape and was dragged along the side by its own rotation speed. Just when it looked like Spirit Dragon was about to leave the stadium, and make Ryu lose, Dranzer sped in and knocked Spirit Dragon back in!

"What?" Ryu said. He looked up at Kai who was smiling.

"Missing on your special attack doesn't get you a free trip out of the stadium." Kai said. His expression changed, and he became even more serious. "Now, attack me Ryu!"

Dranzer began another series of rapid attacks against Spirit Dragon. Ryu was forced every which way in the stadium as he couldn't put up a defense. The attack pattern had changed again, so Ryu couldn't use the same absorption trick twice. He growled as nothing Spirit Dragon did broke the hold Dranzer had on him.

Tyson stepped up to the stadium, Dragoon ready to launch. "Come one Kai! Give him a break!"

Ryu put his arm out. "No! This is MY fight! Stay back, Tyson!"

Tyson stepped back in surprise. He didn't expect Ryu to have this much fight left in him after what Kai had done! Tyson grimaced, then lowered Dragoon and returned to Kenny.

"Heads up, people!" Dizzi said. "Spirit Dragon's power is rising fast!"

"What? How could this happen so late in the match?" Kenny asked.

"Beats me, but Kai's about to have a serious problem!"

Ryu gripped his launch assist tightly. Bringing out his BitBeast would only show that he was weak. He felt Spirit Dragon feeding on the determination being generated from Kai's actions. Spirit Dragon spun faster, despite Dranzer's attacks, and actually dodged one of the blows!

"Go, Spirit Dragon!" Ryu shouted. "Final attack! ESPER BLADE BEAM!"

The energy aura around Spirit Dragon returned. This time, however, it stayed where it was. Spirit Dragon began a five point pattern around the stadium as, suddenly, Dranzer couldn't hit him!

"Come on, Ryu, man up and hit me!" Kai said.

Spirit Dragon spun even faster, and stopped in the middle of the stadium. A wind vortex was generated by the rotation speed, which started pushing Dranzer away! Just as Ryu was about to release his attack, a tiny speck of light appeared on Spirit Dragon's bit chip. Ryu paused for a second, then then vortex slowly faded. Spirit Dragon began wobbling horribly, then recovered some. It moved back and forth once, then flew back into Ryu's hand.

"Enough. You won." Ryu said.

"Huh? But you had him Ryu!" Tyson said.

Dranzer jumped back into Kai's hand. "Humph. What happened?"

"I won't let you provoke me into releasing my BitBeast, Kai."

Everyone was silent for sever seconds. Then, Kai started chuckling, which turned into full on laughter. "So you figured it out. That's right, I was trying to make you bring out Spirit Dragon. But you were the wiser in this battle, and that's earned my respect." Kai stepped down from the stadium. "I will say this for you though - that was a pretty decent workout."

Everyone else was stunned. Only Dizzi retained the ability to speak. "Wait, did Kai just give someone a compliment?"

"I guess so." Kenny said. Ryu took another deep breath, then stepped down from the stadium himself.

"So. Who's next?"

"Wow. I've never seen someone lose to Kai and then ask for seconds." Max said.

"Yeah, that takes buns of grade-A titanium." Kenny replied..

"I'll take you on." Ray stepped forward. He and Ryu looked at each other for a few seconds, then nodded simultaneously.

"Hey! What's all the racket out there!"

Tyson's Granddad burst out of the house. "You guys know what time it is!"

"Uhh... Twelve thirty?" Ryu said.

"Its chow time! Now you kids get in here and get some grub!"

The seven people looked at each other, then reluctantly went in the house. They were having fun out here!

Meanwhile...

"Joseph, anything new on the Bladebreakers?" Ozuma asked.

"Something. There's a new guy with them."

"A new guy?" Dunga asked. "What's he like?"

"His name is Ryu. He's got a beyblade called 'Spirit Dragon', or something. They're talking like he has a BitBeast."

Ozuma was surprised. "Ryu? Spirit Dragon? You sure you heard them right?"

Joseph nodded. "Yeah. That's what they were saying."

Ozuma jumped up and grabbed Flash Leopard. "Come on. We're grabbing their BitBeasts. Now."

The rest of the Saint Shields looked at each other a few seconds, then walked out with Ozuma. They had a mission to carry out.

Ryu walked back out to the stadium. Hew had taken some time to refocus and prepare for the next battle. It had helped - his heartbeat was down to fifty beats. He was ready for anything.

Ryu exited the house, and Ray was standing next to the stadium. As he saw Ryu, he smiled. The two of them had had a very long conversation on the helicopter ride back to the city, and they had become good friends in both beyblades and interests. This was going to be a fun battle.

"Are you ready, Ryu?" Ray asked.

Ryu stepped up to the stadium. "You bet! Kai gave me a good reference on the Bladebreaker's skill. I won't be so easy to beat this time."

Kenny got his laptop ready. "How's it looking, Dizzi?"

"Well, now I have have more accurate data on Spirit Dragon, I estimate that Ryu has a thirty-seven percent chance of victory this time around."

"Thirty-seven?" Tyson said. "That's pretty good, right?"

"Statistically speaking yes," Kenny said, "But this is the real world. The odds are two to one against Ryu."

"Oh, come on. Show a little faith, Chief." Max said. "We know Ryu has the potential to be a world-class blader. It just might take some time to bring it out of him."

"I wouldn't be talking like that if I were you, Max." Dizzi said.

Max was surprised. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Ryu has a much better chance of defeating you than anyone else." Dizzi pulled up several pieces of data on both Draciel and Spirit Dragon. They were showing the attacks and counter moves of both blades, and clearly showed Draciel fighting a losing battle in several scenarios.

"Well, let's get this show on the road!" Ray said. He pulled out Driger V and slapped it onto his launcher.

"Right!" Ryu did the same for Spirit Dragon. "Three!" Ryu said.

"Two!" Ray answered.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs

Driger: 51000

Spirit Dragon: 37500

Driger and Spirit Dragon landed in the stadium - but didn't do anything. They just slowly circled around, staring each other down. Eventually, they both charged forward and ground into each other. They pushed with all their might, but Ray was the superior. Spirit Dragon began to fall back.

"Hey! What's going on?" Tyson asked.

"Spirit Dragon's losing rotation speed fast!" Kenny said. "I don't know what's causing it!"

"Grr, come on Spirit Dragon!" Ryu shouted. He was trying with all his heart to fight Ray, but nothing was coming out. Spirit Dragon was being pushed further back to the edge of the stadium.

"Ryu! Stop playing around!" Ray said. He wasn't even trying to do this much damage - Ryu was letting it happen! Closer and closer Spirit Dragon crept to certain defeat. Ryu didn't know how much more he could handle.

"Don't let him get to you, Ryu!" Kai said. "Ray is your opponent! You have to think you'll win or this is exactly what happens!"

"This is too easy!" Ray said. "Driger! Vulcan Claw attack!"

Driger stopped pushing Spirit Dragon and began an intricate attack pattern. It hammered Spirit Dragon several times, pushing it all over the stadium! Ryu yelped in his concentration. Driger delivered a particularly good hit, and Spirit Dragon was thrown into the air.

Ryu was back on the plain. Spirit Dragon stood in front of him, its entire majesty all but gone. It looked weak. Ryu walked up to it, and put his hand on the side of its head. The scales were rough and uneven. The dragon started whimpering in pain.

"I get it." Ryu said. "You befriended Driger just like I did with Ray." He moved closer, allowing the BitBeast to rest its head on his shoulder. Ryu put his arms around it. "But we're not fighting as enemies. It's not a domination battle - We're fighting to show him our strength. Show him our power!"

The dragon's eyes widened. It stopped whimpering, then lifted its head and let out a gigantic roar!

Driger's advance on Spirit Dragon stopped. The two pushed at each other for several seconds, then Driger shot away from Spirit Dragon!

"Go for it, Spirit Dragon!" Ryu shouted.

Driger took some serious knocks as Spirit Dragon increased its rotation speed and swung around the stadium in a rapid pattern. Ray felt the heat turn up as his blade was being pushed around like a piece of paper! He tried to counter and make a dodge, but the pattern left Driger off-balance, and it was much slower than normal. There was only one way for him to get out of this.

"Alright Ryu, you asked for it!" Ray said. "GO DRIGER!"

The bit chip on Driger began glowing, then emitted a beam of light which expanded and morphed into a feline form - Driger growled and pushed one of Spirit Dragon attacks away! Spirit Dragon had to halt its attack pattern as Driger became too powerful!

"All right!" Ryu said. "Let's go, Spirit Dragon!"

Ryu's beyblade went to the middle of the stadium and paused. Spirit Dragon burst from the bit chip with a spectacular display of lights. The two BitBeasts stared each other down for a second - then charged headfirst again! This time, as they ground against each other, neither side was relenting!

"Driger! VULCAN CLAW!"

"Spirit Dragon! ESPER SLASH!"

Both Beyblades started glowing with energy - Spirit Dragon white, Driger gold. Theis attacks clashed, and a blinding flash of light filled the area. Everyone shielded their eyes and looked away. When the light faded, both Driger and Spirit Dragon were still spinning - outside the stadium. The two had been knocked out at the same time. Spirit Dragon and Driger turned white and retreated back into the Beyblades, which promptly failed to continue spinning.

"It's... a tie." Kenny sputtered.

"Both blades exited the stadium within a second of each other," Dizzi said. "According to BBA rules, that is, in fact, a tie."

Ray picked up Driger. "Good match, Ryu". The two of them walked over and slapped their hands together. "This isn't over yet. We'll fight again someday."

Ryu nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

The two released each other, and Ray walked back over to Kenny. "So how'd I do?" He asked, then sat down with them.

"Well, you did good, considering the power of Ryu's BitBeast." Dizzi said. "Spirit Dragon was temporarily a little more powerful than Dragoon."

"I'm just glad neither of your Beyblades took any serious damage." Kenny said. "Though Spirit Dragon is taking a beating." Dizzi showed several areas of damage on Ryu's blade.

"No sweat." Ryu said. "I've got some spare parts. This isn't a custom Beyblade, you know."

"Really? What's it made out of?"

"Take a look." Ryu tossed Spirit Dragon over to Kenny. He and the Bladebreakers looked it over carefully. They all recognized different parts.

"Dragoon Fighter's attack ring..." Tyson said.

"Driger's blade base..." Ray continued.

"And Draciel's weight ring." Max finished.

"Not only that," Kenny said, "Each part has been expertly hand crafted. Who did this, Ryu?"

Ryu chuckled. "Who do you think? I don't have the money to hire someone for this. I made Spirit Dragon myself."

"Wow! Does that mean you can help patch up our blades?" Tyson asked. He, Ray, and Max all took theirs out - they weren't too pretty. Functional, but they could be better.

"Yeah, I could do it. But don't we have some more battling to do?" Ryu said, then got Spirit Dragon back and readied his launcher.

"Yeah! Let's do this." Max stepped up to the stadium and readied Draciel.

"Alright! It's now or never Spirit Dragon!"

Ryu and Max looked in each others eyes for several seconds. They peered into their souls, evaluating each other as an opponent.

Ryu closed his eyes in concentration. After what felt like several minutes, he heard the flapping of monstrous wings, and felt a familiar presence. As he opened his eyes, Ryu saw Spirit Dragon circling him. None of the Bladebreakers seemed aware of his BitBeast. Spirit Dragon broke off from his orbit and made an approach at Ryu, coming straight for his front. The dragon impacted, but transferred no kinetic energy - instead, his entire mass was absorbed into Ryu's body, who began glowing with a faint white aura. It seemed to be the same energy his beyblade used.

"Three!" Ryu said.

"Two!" Max responded.

"One!" They shouted together. "LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs

Draciel: 51000

Spirit Dragon: 51000?

"Go Spirit Dragon!" Ryu shouted. His Beyblade landed in the stadium and the bit chip immediately started glowing. A beam of light once again projected out of it, and morphed into the translucent blue form of Spirit Dragon!

Max was stunned - Ryu wasn't going to play around here. He summoned up the brunt of his courage and prepared to face Ryu head on!

"Go Draciel!"

Max's bit chip also started glowing, then produced it's own light, which morphed into the black turtle of Draciel. The two BitBeasts stared at each other for just a few seconds, then they both roared and charged forward! Draciel and Spirit Dragon locked arms and braced against each other. They both roared, trying to push the other back.

Ryu and Max's beyblades were grinding against each other in the exact middle of the stadium. Tiny pieces of their attack rings were flying of as neither could gain ground. Ryu gripped his launcher tighter and brought the last of his strength to bear. "Attack, Spirit Dragon!"

Max was stunned as Draciel began to be pushed back! He pushed back, but the force Spirit Dragon was exerting was too great. About halfway from the edge of the stadium, Spirit Dragon darted away. Max ws caught off-guard, and barely maaged to stop Draciel from flying out of the stadium. As his beyblade stopped its momentum, however, Spirit Dragon sped in as though it had been sot from a cannon! Draciel was hit and thrown twice around the stadium before Max could recover!

"Woah! Where did that come from!" Tyson asked.

"Ryu's done something with Spirit Dragon." Kenny answered. "There seems to be a direct energy link between them, and it's making Ryu much more powerful!"

"Wait, Spirit Dragon is giving energy to Ryu?" Ray said. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Yeah, it should. But somehow, this one is different."

Max grimaced as Draciel was pummeled by Spirit Dragon - but didn't back down. In fact, as Spirit Dragon ended an attack pattern, Max started smiling!

"What are you so happy about?" Ryu asked.

"You asked for it, Ryu!" Max reset his stance and stared at Ryu. "Draciel! ATTACK!"

Spirit Dragon started another series of attacks, but Draciel suddenly regained its balance, and stopped Spirit Dragon in his tracks! Draciel pushed, and began hitting Spirit Dragon back!

"Hmmph! Let's get this over with then!" Ryu said.

Spirit Dragon again emanated a white aura. Max, having seen this action several times, immediately knew what to do. He relaxed his grip on his launcher and then squeezed it in a more comfortable position, then shouted "Draciel! FORTRESS DEFENSE!"

As Spirit Dragon began its attack pattern, Draciel dodged right. It rode up on the stadium wall and made a 180, then slammed into Spirit Dragon from behind. Max expected Ryu to dodge it, and corrected beforehand - but Ryu continued on-course! Draciel shot Spirit Dragon off at an odd angle, and instead of flying around the stadium, it launched off the side!

"ESPER SLASH!"

Spirit Dragon came down on Draciel like an anvil. The energy blade cut into Draciel's material, ripping pieces of it off - but when the body impacted, Max's beyblade was smashed up into the air! It seemed to hang at the apex of the arc forever, then it fell. It looked like it might hit the side of the stadium and bounce in, and at the last second Draciel hit the exact edge and ricocheted off, then fell - out of the stadium.

Ryu and the Bladebreakers were silent. Spirit Dragon was moving in a lazy pattern around the stadium. Draciel was still spinning, but outside of it. Max slowly looked over to his blade. Draciel turned white and withdrew back into the beyblade, which promptly stopped spinning. Max went over and picked it up as Spirit Dragon withdrew as well.

"That's..." Kenny started. "That's it."

"Ryu... won." Ray finished.

Spirit Dragon made a victory lap of the stadium and jumped into Ryu's hand. Ryu walked over to Max, who looked up. At the exact same time, they put out their right hands, grabbed, and clenched tightly. Mutual respect flowed between them.

Ryu was a Bladebreaker now.

"And the victory goes to Ryu," Dizzi said, "But did you have to rip Draciel up that much?" She showed Draciel's damage rating, and a few big pieces of it were missing.

"THAT was a good battle." Kai said. "But don't let it go to your head, Ryu. You blade by our rules, and your train with us. You proved you can beat one of our kind, so I won't treat you any different."

"Oh, lighten up Kai." Tyson said. "But, no offense to you Max, I am actually glad he won."

"Hey!" Max said. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think team Psykick will just look the other way now that they know Ryu has a BitBeast?" Kai asked. Max and Ray were stunned. "Ryu needed to be with us so we could protect him. Spirit Dragon is obviously a powerful BitBeast, and there might be more people after it."

"Like us!" They heard a voice say. Everyone looked over, and saw the SaintShields in the arch leading into the yard. The sun glinted in the now late-afternoon hours. "Don't think you're safe from us, Ryu! the SaintShields will capture ALL the Bladebreaker's BitBeasts!" Ozuma said. He pulled out Flash Leopard and got ready to launch. "I challenge you to a match, Ryu!"

Ryu reset his own launcher and got Spirit Dragon ready. "I accept."

"No, Ryu!" Tyson said. "It's a trap! They don't play by the rules!"

"I know." Ryu said, knocking Tyson off guard. "I know about their dirty tricks. And I've faced four people before, as well."

Tyson began to walk over. "Ryu-!"

Kai stopped him. "Let him go. If Spirit Dragon is taken, then it's his own fault. Besides..." Kai curiously stopped. Tyson looked at his eyes, and they were filed with confidence. Kai knew something else about Ryu.

"Ahhh All right!" Tyson shouted. "Go for it Ryu!"

Ryu and Ozuma faced each other. "It's been a while." Ryu said.

"Yes. But don't think time has lightened my grip on you." Ozuma said. "I KNOW you have a BitBeast now! I will not back down until it's sealed in the rock!"

"Then you'll have to fight for it!" Ryu reset his launcher and set Spirit Dragon up.

The Bladebreakers finally noticed the aura around Ryu.

"Huh? What's up with Ryu's body?" Tyson asked.

"It must be the energy link!" Kenny said. "Somehow, Ryu's managed to keep it active even without spinning Spirit Dragon!"

"Gladly!" Ozuma got Flash Leopard ready. "Three!" He challenged.

"Two!" Ryu answered.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs

Spirit Dragon: 51000 RPM

Flash Leopard: 52000 RPM

Flash Leopard wasted no time in charging Spirit Dragon. The two beyblades collided and briefly ground together, but Spirit Dragon was shot away! Flash Leopard mercilessly hammered Ryu's blade and chased it all over the area.

"Hey! Get in game, Ryu!" Max said.

"What happened to that spectacular ability?" Ray asked. "He was just fighting us a lot better than this."

"It's not his technique," Dizzi said, "The battle with Max took a lot out of Spirit Dragon." She put a schematic of Spirit Dragon on the screen, showing about 20% of it missing.

"Well then, we have to push it!" Tyson said. "Give it your all, Ryu!"

Spirit Dragon took a couple more hard knocks, then managed to dodge one of Flash Leopard's attacks. Ryu got inside Ozuma's attack pattern and began hitting him hard. This went on for a good half minute before Ozuma sized up.

"You're not getting away from me! Attack, Flash Leopard!"

The two beyblades ground against each other for several seconds. Eventually, though, Flash Leopard began to push Sprit Dragon back! Ryu grimaced and tried to fight back, but Ozuma was just too experienced. Spirit Dragon was shot away from Flash Leopard as the power was too great.

"All right, Ozuma! You asked for it! GO SPIRIT DRAGON!"

The bit chip on Ryu's beyblade shone white, then Spirit Dragon burst from it! It let out a massive roar as the beyblade fought back at Flash Leopard!

Ozuma smiled. "Now you're mine. Attack, Flash Leopard!"

Flash Leopard burst from Ozuma's beyblade. They again bashed mercilessly at each other, gouging scars in the earth and anything else they touched.

"Man, they're really going at it." Max said.

"You're telling me, Ryu has somehow matched Flash Leopard's power!" Dizzi showed the respective data from the battle.

"Wha...?" Tyson said. He thought Ryu was only an amateur beyblader - where was all this power coming from? "Doesn't it bother you guys that Ryu seems to be more powerful than he's showing?"

Before any of the Bladebreakers could answer, they heard an unfamiliar voice. "There's a lot more to Ryu than meets the eye."

Kai, Tyson, Max, and Ray turned to look. There was someone leaning against the wooden wall. He had on a brown t-shirt and jeans, and had short black hair. He was nondescript in every way except one - his eyes were red.

"Who are you?" Ray asked.

The person chuckled. "I am Honjo. Ryu is of special interest to me and my team."

"What for?" Tyson stepped forward slightly.

"I will explain later. This battle is about to get a lot more interesting."

"Huh?"

As the five of them turned back to the battle, they gasped. Spirit Dragon had again been enveloped by it's white aura, but what shocked them was that Ryu had the same aura!

"Ozuma!" Ryu shouted. "You have plagued the Bladebreakers long enough! I WILL defeat you!" Ryu took a deep breath, focusing the power that flowed between him and Spirit Dragon. He willed it to collect, and gather strength - and his ripcord turned red. Ryu looked at it for a second in confusion, then knew what to do.

"Charge!" Ryu shouted. He slammed his ripcord back into the launcher. The launch assist changed color - the plastic parts turned red as well, leaving the ribber bits white. "Spirit Dragon..." Ryu got back into his launch stance, and shouted "ATTACK MODE!" as he ripped it out of the launcher again!

As Flash Leopard lined up for another attack, it was suddenly repelled from Spirit Dragon. Ryu's beyblade began moving around eratically, then changed shape. The attack ring and base became more attack oriented, and the white parts of it turned red! Spirit Dragon himself let out roar as he grew more viscious spikes and turned red as well!

Ozuma looked up, and was a little scared at Ryu's condition. He held it together, though, and brought up the bulk of his strength. "Flash Leopard! CROSS FIRE!"

Flash Leopard began burning with a dark flame and charged at Spirit Dragon. Ryu was ready for him though, and called out his own attack!

"GRAND ESPER SLASH!"

The two beyblades collided. They instantly bounced off each other and flew away - but the damage had been done. Spirit Dragon landed gracefully on the ground in front of Ryu, and Flash Leopard made two skips on the ground before wobbling to an undignified halt in front of Ozuma.

"Grr! Everyone! Attack him now!" Ozuma shouted.

"Sharkrash!"

"Vortex Ape!"

"Vanishing Moot!"

Three other beyblades began racing toward Spirit Dragon. At first, Ryu panicked, but his instincts made him calm down. He focused, channeling the aura around him to his beyblade.

"Now it gets interesting." Honjo said.

"Woah! Are you seeing this, Chief!" Dizzi asked.

"I sure am! Whatever Ryu just did increased Spirit Dragon's power tenfold!"

"What kind of power is this?" Tyson asked. He had never seen anything like this before. Ryu seemed capable of taking on the world!

"Attack Mode." Honjo said.

The Bladebreakers turned back to him. "What's Attack Mode?"

"Spirit Dragon is capable of feats you've never seen. He's a special BitBeast. The SaintShields don't have a chance."

Ryu closed his eyes, concentrating with his full will. He located the SaintShields' beyblades with his mind, letting his senses fade out. This was important - another four-to-one battle. He'd had enough of these to know what to do.

Spirit Dragon began systematically attacking the SaintShields' beyblades. It was a slow process, but Ryu managed to get one, then two, then three, and finally all four of his opponents off-balance at the same time! Spirit Dragon began herding their beyblades together and hitting each other!

"Yeah!" Tyson said. "Keep 'em on the ropes, Ryu!"

The SaintShields didn't know what to do. Every time their respective beyblades began to regain balance, Spirit Dragon knocked them right back down! Ryu kept his eyes shut, seemingly guiding his beyblade effortlessly! Spirit Dragon began to line up the SaintShields' beyblades, pushing them into a specific pattern.

Ryu's eyes shot open. "Spirit Dragon! DRAGON SMASH ATTACK!"

Spirit Dragon began glowing with a red aura. The edges of it churned and boiled, as if on fire. It struck each SaintShields beyblade in order, causing them all to fly back into their owner's hands as they were hit. Spirit Dragon flashed - returning to its' white color, then withdrew back into Ryu's beyblade. It jumped back into Ryu's hand.

"What the..." Ozuma started. He looked at Flash Leopard with concern, then back to Ryu. "This isn't over yet. We'll be back for your BitBeasts." He and his team walked off.

Ryu sighed. He lost his grip on his launch assist, and it fell to the ground. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees.

"Ryu!" Ray and Max ran over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Woah! Check out his arms!" Max said.

Ryu looked down. Both of his arms were covered in angry red cuts, and he suspected they didn't end there. He looked at Spirit Dragon, and indeed, tiny chips of the attack ring and base were missing.

"That was one intense battle!" Tyson said. "You sure gave the SaintShields something to worry about!"

"Don't be so sure." Ryu said. He accepted some help from Max and Ray to get up, then walked over and showed Tyson his injuries. Tyson gasped in surprise. "This kind of power is NOT something I can play around with. I need to be very careful when, and IF, I use this again."

"That's the right idea." Honjo said. "Attack Mode is the most dangerous mode change. You cannot afford to underestimate its power."

"Hey, how do you know about this, anyway?" Ray asked.

"Who is this guy?" Ryu asked. He had been so focused on the battle, nothing else had really registered.

Honjo chuckled again. "Like I said to your new teammates, I am Honjo. You, Ryu, are an interest to my team. There's a reason we know about you."

"And... would you care to tell us?" Tyson asked.

Honjo shook his head. "I'm not up to it. I was going to fight you, Ryu, but you look like you've had enough fun for today. I'm not a dishonorable person." He walked over and put his hand over Spirit Dragon. The beyblade began to faintly glow, and all the damage vanished. The cuts on Ryu's body strangely healed with it.

Honjo began turned away and began to walk off. "Beware, Ryu. You've just unlocked a type of power not many people ever even see. My team and I aren't out for your BitBeast, but we will be testing you. Expect us at any time."

Honjo left, walking out of the gate to Tyson's house. The Bladebreakers watched him, and he turned a corner, gone. They turned to Ryu after several seconds.

"So how are you feeling?" Tyson asked.

"Tired." Ryu said. "It's about the same sensation as being awake for three days."

"Well then, you earned a rest. That was an amazing battle! You might even be able to beat me someday."

Ryu looked at Tyson. "I just beat the _entire team_ that you all lost to by _myself_. Except for Kai. Don't let the fame of being world champion go to your head, Tyson."

"Yeah, I think Ryu deserves a little more credit." Ray said.

Tyson looked at the accusing glares from his team, and exhaled. "Okay, I guess you're right. Anyone want to go out for dinner?"

"That would be excellent." Ryu said.

"I'm kinda hungry, too." Max added.

"Yeah, let's go." Ray said. The team slowly oriented and walked out the front gate.

Later that night...

Ryu, Max, and Ray were sitting on the fence that overlooked one of the many river crossings. The moon shone at last quarter, giving the area a cool illumination that Ryu found soothing after the days' battles. Though he was tired, Ryu was not sleepy, and Max and Ray had felt the same.

"I picked up this sport just as a passing hobby." Ryu said. "That was just a year ago. I never expected to be this involved in it."

Ray sighed. "Well, Spirit Dragon chose you for whatever reason. My advice is to just embrace it and move forward."

"Yeah. I just feel like I started something that can't be stopped."

Max tossed a rock into the river. "You'll be okay. You seem to be good enough on your own. And now you have the Bladebreakers to back you up."

"But you saw how powerful Spirit Dragon is in Attack Mode." Ryu said. "What if Honjo has the same capability? I don't think any of you could take him on."

"And he says he's on a team." Ray added. "There could be more of them."

The trio was silent for a few minutes. Max looked up to the night sky. A few clouds drifted overhead, but otherwise the stars were unblocked.

"Do you think Ozuma will keep coming after our BitBeasts?" Ray asked. "Ryu's display of power might have made him bit weary."

"He'll keep after you guys," Ryu said, "But I don't think he'll be stupid enough to keep losing to me, or Honjo's team. I still wonder why he wants them, though."

"Beats me." Max said. "Let's just be glad we have a fallback plan to defeat them." He patted Ryu on the shoulder.

Ryu smiled. "Yeah. This is going to be interesting."


	4. Chapter 4

Reclaimer! We must collect the Index before we can activate this installation!

Insert Self, BeyBlade By Ryu Himora

***  
Chapter 4: A Little Backstory ***

Six Months Ago

Ryu walked into his classroom and was met with a fanfare. Five students overwhelmed him at the door, and a sign at the back displayed "THANK YOU, RYU!".

"What! Is This! For?" Ryu managed to shout over the din. One of the nearby students explained.

"You took out Darion! He was the biggest bully at this school and you made him leave!"

Ryu remembered it then. The fight with Darion, Spirit Dragon bursting from his beyblade - He looked at his left leg, and saw the launch assist attached to his pants. It really had happened.

A lady walked up. Ryu knew her - Amido. They had been friends for a couple years now. She was wearing a thick cloth dress that ended just above her knees and low-heeled calf-length boots. Her hair was straight, shiny black and went down to her shoulders, and she had sparkling blue eyes. Amido gave Ryu a passionate hug, and held it for several seconds before letting go. The crown quieted down considerably after that.

"Is all this really necessary?" Ryu asked.

"Do you know how much trouble Darion caused?" A male student said. "He personally took money from four dozen people! This school is much better off without him."

The door opened again. This time the teacher walked in, an elderly man who looked a bit surprised at what was going on. "All right, settle down." He said. "Let's get on with the lesson and you can finish celebrating afterward."

The entire class groaned, and reluctantly went to their seats and got ready for the day.

***  
One Week Later...

Later, Ryu and Amido were sitting just outside a park, waiting for their bus to come in. They talked briefly about Ryu's victory, but otherwise left the topic untouched. After about twenty minutes, Ryu sensed something. He looked around, and saw someone in a strange cloak on the sidewalk, about a hundred yards away. Ryu didn't know why he stood out - he just did.

Ryu noticed he was staring. He turned away, but apparently not soon enough. The person started walking over, and Ryu felt himself instinctively reach for Spirit Dragon.

"Ryu." The cloaked person said. "I challenge you to a beybattle."

Ryu thought about asking him how he knew his name, but decided to protest. "Alright. Let's do this."

The two of them walked over to a nearby beystadium. Ryu got Spirit Dragon ready to launch, testing the launcher to make sure it wouldn't fail. The kid got a black beyblade out, but didn't have a launch assist. This might end soon.

"Three!" The kid said.

"Two!" Ryu responded.

"One! Let It Rip!"

Launch RPMs Spirit Dragon 23000 ? 23000

Spirit Dragon entered the stadium, and Ryu immediately had to dodge right. This kid was fast! Ryu was hard-pressed to keep out of his sights, but managed the agility to do so. He waited for almost a minute, sometimes only passing by millimeters, until he saw a flaw in the attack pattern. Spirit Dragon accelerated and curved, smashing right into the black beyblade! It tumbled in the air and landed an inch from the end of the stadium, then shot right back in to attack Spirit Dragon!

Ryu growled. He'd thought this kid would have been put more off-balance, but he had either expected Ryu's counterattack, or was just that good. Ryu decided he was fed up with evading - he geared up and turned straight into his opponent, meeting him in the exact center of the stadium! The two beyblades ground against each other, sparks flying in all directions. Ryu grunted, forcing more of his power into Spirit Dragon, and began to push the black beyblade away!

"Hmmpf!" The kid said. His beyblade suddenly became enveloped in a pitch-black fire, and pushed Spirit Dragon back! "Flash Leopard! Cross Fire!"

Spirit Dragon suddenly shot from Flash Leopard. Ryu let out a yelp in surprise, and dropped to one knee. He slowly got back up, and stared his opponent down.

"Who are you!" Ryu shouted.

"I am Ozuma!" The kid reached up and took the hood off his head. The image of his face burned into Ryu's mind like a hot iron. "I am here to take your BitBeast! It is the SaintShields' mission to seal away all the BitBeasts in the world!"

"Mission, huh?" Ryu said. "Well too bad - You aren't laying a finger on Spirit Dragon!"

"We'll see about that! Flash Leopard, ATTACK!"

The bit chip on Ozuma's beyblade suddenly began shining white. A beam of light protruded from it and expanded, forming into a vicious, flaming, saber-toothed feline. Flash Leopard smashed into Spirit Dragon, knocking it around the stadium with ease! Ryu struggled to put up a fight, but Ozuma was too strong with his BitBeast engaged!

Ryu felt something grab his free hand. Amido had stepped up and embraced it, and Ryu felt the emotions running between them. He was suddenly no longer aware of the battle - only Amido's physical presence registered in his mind.

"Do you want to win?" She asked.

"Of course." Ryu answered. "Spirit Dragon isn't just some BitBeast - he's my BitBeast. I'll do anything to protect him."

Amido smiled a little. "That's the idea," She said, "But what if there was another reason?"

Ryu didn't know how to answer. He just stared at Amido with a blank face. After what felt like an hour, she raised his hand up and clasped it with both of hers. "Open your mind." She said. A burst of light emanated from their link, bathing Ryu in a glorious power.

The bit chip on Spirit Dragon crackled with energy. It began to shine white, and the Spirit Dragon burst from the beyblade! It let out a roar as it took one of Ozuma's attacks and deflected Flash Leopard!

"Now you're mine!" Ozuma said. "Flash Leopard, SACRED FIRE!"

Flash Leopard was again bathed in the black fire. It made some erratic movements in its attack pattern, then charged straight for Spirit Dragon!

"Not so fast!"

Spirit Dragon paused in the center of the stadium. It began spinning faster and faster, until it created a miniature tornado! The fire on Flash Leopard was extinguished as it began to be pulled toward Spirit Dragon!

"ESPER BLADE BEAM!"

A white aura formed around Spirit Dragon, the beyblade and the BitBeast. The beyblade flashed, and a crescent-shaped blade of energy was launched at Flash Leopard! Ozuma's beyblade was knocked out of the stadium as it impacted! Flash Leopard turned white and managed to retract into the beyblade a second before it stopped spinning.

Ozuma inhaled sharply. He stood there for a second, then ran over to Flash Leopard and picked it up. He briefly turned back to Ryu. "This isn't over yet! I will get your BitBeast!"

Ryu and Amido watched him run off. They followed him to the street corner, where he vanished behind a building. Ryu looked down - Amido was still holding his hand. He returned the embracement, then looked up at her.

"Thanks." He said.

"Don't mention it." She replied. "Come on, let's get home. You have some explaining to do."

Ryu smiled. They walked back to the bench, just as their bus arrived. They boarded, and disappeared into the residential district.

***  
Author's notes:  
I'm not cruel enough to simply update a chapter without actual new content.

So, it is established that Ozuma has a grudge against Ryu. How will that turn out? Can he hope to match Spirit Dragon Attack Mode's power? It turns out that Honjo's team aren't the only people interested in Ryu... 


	5. Chapter 5 Part 1

Disclaimer: To view this disclaimer, send a mint-condition Dragoon Galaxy Turbo with a genuine Tyson Launch Assist from G-Revolution signed by the Click and Clack brothers to 551 Turnabout Street, Riverton, Wyoming, 82001.

Insert Self, Beyblade By Ryu Himora

***  
Chapter Five: Here We Go...  
***

"98! 99! 100!" Kenny said. "Alright, time for sit-ups now!"

The Bladebreakers groaned. They had been doing exercises since the crack of dawn down at the beach, in response to a formal challenge by Team Psykick. They had a week to prepare - starting yesterday. Ryu was having some difficulty keeping up, with no prior experience as part of a professional team.

"Come on, Chief, haven't we done enough already?" Tyson asked. "We've been at this for three hours!"

"No way! You all have gotten sloppy since the world championships. If you're to beat Team Psykick, you'll have to get back in shape fast. Now get ready for the next set!" Kenny reset his stopwatch.

The five beybladers groaned again, then grudgingly got in position to do situps.

***  
A few hours later...

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs Draciel: 51000 Spirit Dragon: 38500

Spirit Dragon landed in the stadium and charged for Draciel. It impacted and ground against Draciel for a split second, but bounced off. Draciel swept around and hit Spirit Dragon hard, knocking it around the stadium!

"Is that the best you can do, Ryu?" Max asked. "I thought you fixed your blade!"

"Grr, try this on for size then!" Ryu said. Spirit Dragon recovered from it's momentum and hit Draciel several times, building up to a massive attack at the end. Instead of forcing all the energy on Draciel, however, Spirit Dragon took some of the hit itself. Max was caught off-guard, and Draciel was knocked off-balance. Spirit Dragon, however, sped toward the edge of the stadium, and launched off the side, generating its' white aura midair.

"Esper Slash!"

"Fortress Defense!"

To Ryu's surprise, Draciel managed to initiate its own special attack even while unbalanced. As Spirit Dragon approached,it got blown away by the intense pressure wave caused by Draciel. Spirit Dragon bounced off the side of the stadium a few times, then recovered.

"Lets get this over with!" Max said. "Draciel! ATTACK!"

"Go, Spirit Dragon!"

The two BitBeasts burst from their respective beyblades. They met in the center of the stadium, grinding against each other. After several seconds, Spirit Dragon began to be pushed back. He let out a roar, but even his best efforts were no enough to overpower Draciel. Spirit Dragon turned white, then broke into thousands of pieces of lights and retracted into the beyblade. Draciel did the same, then hit Spirit Dragon and they both flew back to their owner's hands.

"What was that?" Tyson asked. "You've gotta be kidding if that was your best, Ryu."

Ryu grimaced. Over the past two days, he'd fought against Ray twice, Kai once, and Max a good three times including this one. All of them had ended in dismal failures. He just couldn't get it going again - the feeling of harmony between himself and Spirit Dragon would not return. Nothing seemed to be able to activate it.

"Well, there's no use pushing him about it." Kenny said. "Tyson and Ray - You're up next."

"Alright, let's do this!" Ray said. He and Tyson walked up to the stadium. They got out their professional launchers, and slapped Dragoon Storm and Driger V into them.

"Three!" Tyson challenged.

"Two!" Ray responded.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs Dragoon Storm: 53000 Driger V: 51500

Tyson and Ray had a very intense battle. They kept after each other, not letting either one gain a real advantage. Ryu watched with particular interest, trying to see if there were any movement patterns he screwed up, or something he missed. To his dismay, Ryu found he was doing it right - they were just that much better than him.

Eventually, Tyson's ability to deal more damage than Ray won out. Driger made a last ditch effort with its Vulcan Claw, but Dragoon's Victory Tornado countered it handily. Driger was knocked straight out of the stadium, and dug a good six-inch hole in the sand.

As the rest of the team conversed, Ryu felt something nagging at his mind. He slowly looked around, and saw someone familiar standing a good distance away. He didn't know if it was a good sight, though. As Honjo saw Ryu spot him, he leapt down from the concrete barrier and walked over. Ryu put his hand on his launcher - this didn't feel right.

"Heads up! We have company." Ryu said.

The rest of the Bladebreakers looked over. Honjo walked across the sand, leaving only light footprints. He stopped about ten feet from Ryu.

"Nice job joining the world champion team." Honjo said. "But shouldn't you be doing better? I already saw you enter Attack Mode once."

"I've been trying." Ryu said forcefully. "But the emotions won't come."

"Well then, let's try to coax it out." Honjo walked over to the stadium. "You need to learn how to do this. It's essential to Spirit Dragon's safety."

Ryu met him. He pulled out Spirit Dragon and his launcher. "You'd better be ready for me."

"I already know what you're capable of." Honjo got out a beyblade the same color as Spirit Dragon. The bit chip had a picture of a magnificent bird. He also pulled out a launch assist, the same type as Ryu's.

"Three!" Ryu challenged.

"Two!" Honjo responded.

"One! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs Spirit Dragon 38600 Spirit Raptor 35000

Spirit Dragon landed and went to the center of the stadium. It waited there for Spirit Raptor to make a move, but nothing came. Spirit Raptor just circled the stadium in lazy arcs.

"Come on!" Ryu said. "You were so adamant about battling me, so come and get it!"

"I'm not the one being tested here." Honjo said. "Calm yourself. Focus your emotions."

Ryu didn't know why he wanted to follow this person's advice. His body just responded to the words - and he felt his anger fall. Ryu took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

Spirit Dragon made small circles to overcome its' momentum, then flew around the stadium. It hit Spirit Raptor hard, then doubled back to hit him on the ricochet! Spirit Raptor began to get knocked in every direction around the stadium!

"That's a good start! But don't get too cocky!"

Spirit Raptor managed to dodge one of Ryu's attacks. It got inside Spirit Dragon's attack pattern and began hitting back, two times for every hit hit Ryu scored!

"Grr..." Ryu grimaced. This was becoming difficult. He wasn't beaten, though, and had a few more moves up his sleeve.

Spirit Dragon caught Spirit Raptor on one of its' attacks and ground against it. The two beyblades pushed against each other, but Spirit Dragon was obviously superior.

"What's with this guy?" Max asked. "He seems so dominant, but Ryu's kicking his but!"

"Don't underestimate him!" Kenny said. "He's got the same power emanations as Spirit Dragon!"

"Alright, let's make this more interesting!" Honjo said. "Go Spirit Raptor!"

The bit-chip on Honjo's beyblade began shining, then a translucent blue raptor burst from it. Something was off, though - it was way too small. As Spirit Dragon erupted from its' beyblade, the scale became obvious - Spirit Raptor was a quarter the size of Spirit Dragon!

"You expect to beat me with that dinky thing!" Ryu said. "Spirit Dragon! ESPER BLADE BEAM!"

Spirit Dragon stopped in the center of the stadium again. It began glowing with the white energy aura, then blades of it began shooting off, following the curve of the stadium! Spirit Raptor dodged some of them, but it was ultimately being pushed toward the edge!

"Looks like Ryu has this in the bag." Tyson said.

"See how you like this!" Honjo said. Spirit Raptor stopped at the very edge of the stadium, waiting for Spirit Dragon's next wave of attacks. As it was hit, Spirit Raptor was knocked out of the stadium - but it didn't fall. Instead, it hung in the air, then flew and hovered above Spirit Dragon! The Bladebreakers all gasped as they saw this happen!

"So you're a flyer too?" Ryu said. "Not my problem!" Spirit Dragon stopped generating the aura and made a swift spiral around the stadium. It launched off the side, in the same pattern as the Esper Slash special attack. However, it too defied gravity, and met Spirit Raptor in the air!

"What! How are they doing that?" Ray asked.

"Beats me," Dizzi said, "But from what I can tell, the BitBeasts are causing a small power buildup in their beyblades!"

"So that's it..."

"Let's finish this!" Ryu said. "Spirit Dragon! ESPER WING BLADE!"

Ryu's beyblade began emanating a fierce tornado. Spirit Raptor was being drawn in, and at first Honjo couldn't fight it. However, As it grew closer, Spirit Dragon began darting about in the air, then gained altitude and smashed Spirit Raptor in a massive dive!

Spirit Raptor fell out of the air. It landed in the stadium, and bounced around a few times, inching closer to falling out - but it recovered, sparking off the side, and making small circles in the center.

"What!" Ryu exclaimed.

"It's not over 'till it's over!" Honjo said.

Dizzi's screen displayed a WARNING icon. "Alert! Spirit Raptor's spin speed is going critical! Something's happening to it!"

"What? How could that happen this late in the match!" Kenny asked.

"I don't know, but you all might want to start backing up!"

Honjo closed his eyes. After few seconds of concentration, a thin white aura began to emanate from his body. An burst of energy built up in his right hand, and his ripcord turned deep red.

"That's..." Tyson began.

"Charge!" Honjo said. He put the ripcord in his launch assist, which turned the same shade of red, sans the rubber bits. "Spirit Raptor... ATTACK MODE!" Honjo ripped the ripcord out of the launcher again.

Spirit Raptor let out a cry. A massive gale of wind began sweeping through the area, and Honjo's beyblade and BitBeast both flashed, disappeared for a few seconds, and returned to the visible spectrum in the same shade of red. The beyblade lifted itself into the air and knocked Spirit Dragon back into the stadium.

"How's it look, Chief!" Max said over the din.

The WARNING message continued to blare in Kenny's face. "Not good! Spirit Raptor's power just keeps rising! It's over six thousand! Seven thousand! Over eight thousand! Over nine thou- It just shot off my own scale!"

Ryu and Spirit Dragon stood in awe before Spirit Raptor. Ryu felt fear creep through his body. The sight was almost too much - He knew what Spirit Raptor Attack Mode was capable of, having handled that same power himself. Ryu noticed he was breathing rapidly, and took a deep breath, holding it as long as possible, then letting it go. He concentrated all of his energy, remembering his fights with Ozuma.

A thin white aura appeared around Ryu.

The other Bladebreakers noticed this. "Check it out! Ryu's going for it!" Tyson shouted.

"Charge!" Ryu said. His ripcord turned red. As he put it in the launcher, the launch assist turned the same color. "Spirit Dragon... ATTACK MODE!" He ripped the ripcord out with enough force to punch through a two-inch thick oak board.

Spirit Dragon and its' beyblade shifted to a deep red color. The two BitBeasts stared each other down, as the wind somehow intensified.

"Here I come, Ryu!" Honjo said. "Spirit Raptor! SUPER ESPER DIVE!"

"Go Spirit Dragon! HYPER SPIRIT TORNADO!"

The two beyblades and BitBeasts clashed. There was a blinding flash of light, and everyone but Ryu and Honjo were forced to look away. When they looked back, Spirit Dragon had vanished, and Spirit Raptor had reverted from Attack Mode. Ryu was on his knees, the Spirit Dragon beyblade in hole two feet deep behind him.

Spirit Raptor broke into thousands of points of light, and retracted into its' beyblade, which stopped spinning mere seconds after. Honjo sighed and fell to his knees as well.

The Bladebreakers ran over to Ryu. He was exhausted, and had a few cuts and bruises, but otherwise seemed okay. Honjo eventually got up and retrieved Spirit Raptor, then walked over and got Spirit Dragon. He presented Ryu's beyblade to him.

"THAT was the best battle I've ever had!" Honjo said. The white aura around him focused to Spirit Dragon, and the pieces that had been broken off from the beyblade regenerated again. Ryu took his repaired blade as the process finished. "Your form and technique were impeccable. The only problem you seem to have is activating Attack Mode. And, in time, that hurtle will be overcome as well. You're well on the way to mastering your BitBeast."

"So wait... you're not an enemy?" Kenny asked.

Honjo shook his head. "My goals are to protect Spirit Dragon, and whoever it chooses to wield it. As of now, you can consider me an ally to the Bladebreakers."

Ryu stood up. He and Honjo looked in each other's eyes for several seconds, and after what felt like an eternity they slapped their right hands together. Ryu was still generating the white aura, which made the scene a bit strange to the other Bladebreakers. As they released, Honjo turned to them. "You all must have some questions. Now would be the time to ask."

The Bladebreakers looked at each other for a few seconds. Max spoke up first. "Why are you so interested in Ryu?"

Honjo sat down, and everyone else followed. "Ryu holds one of a limited amount of BitBeasts that can Mode Change. So far, there are four modes that we know of - Attack, Defense, Speed, and Mobility. You know how a beyblade with a BitBeast is nearly impervious to a beyblade without one? The same is true for Mode Changes. A BitBeast in any Mode Change can defeat nearly any BitBeast that isn't. Why Ryu is important, is because there is a group who wants to use these BitBeasts to take over the world. My team and I have been attacked several times by these people, but they never use their own team. All they do is brainwash others and give their beyblades temporary Mode Changes to combat us. In theory, they could defeat Ryu, take Spirit Dragon, and use it to capture our BitBeasts."

The Bladebreakers were silent. They didn't know what to say to that. Ryu eventually broke the silence. "So, what's with this white aura?" He asked, looking at his body.

Honjo smiled. "That is called the Energy Transferral State, or ETS. It's a state where your and your BitBeast are in exact harmony. They can use this link to Mode Change. How it's triggered is different for everyone - I think of my intense friendship with Spirit Raptor. You'll find a trigger someday."

"What's this team you keep talking about?" Tyson asked.

"The Spirit Warriors. There are four of us - I am obviously here in Japan, Kotegiri is at home in New York, Hocho is in Europe with his family, and Fudo... Well, we don't really know where he is. But when the three of us gather, he's usually not far behind."

"The blades of Masamune?" Ray asked.

Honjo laughed. "Yes. Those are our chosen names. Five years ago, when we all met our BitBeasts, our memories were erased after a truly epic battle. They've been slowly coming back, but none of us remembers who we were."

"Well, that must suck." Tyson blurted out.

Honjo laughed again. "It did at first. But we've come to accept it as the price for our BitBeasts."

"I thought you said Hocho was with his family?" Max asked.

Honjo paused. "We all... rediscovered our families after the incident. Fudo, Kotegiri and I... didn't really hit it off too well with them. Hocho, however... his family managed to adapt to the changes, and because of our circumstances invited us into the clan as well. We have yet to accept."

"What's the name of this other organization?" Ryu asked.

Honjo shook his head. "We don't know. Everyone they've sent at us has had their memories wiped."

"Wait, you said Kotegiri was in New York?" Max said. "That's where the PPB All Starz are based - my mom works for them."

"Hmm, I'll tell her about that." Honjo said. "Is there anything else? I do have some work to attend to."

The Bladebreakers thought about it, but all of their questions that had accumulated since they had met Ryu on Dr. B's island had been answered. They shook their heads, but as Honjo got up Ryu suddenly had a thought. "Oh, wait - when is this going to, y'know, end?"

"Oh. You'll phase out of ETS as the emotions linking you to Spirit Dragon subside. I think the longest it was active was about four hours - but that was in a... very specific situation. You'll be fine in, like, an hour." Ryu nodded. "Well, I really must be off. We'll be seeing you, Ryu."

Honjo got up, dusted his pants off, and left the beach. Kenny got up and returned to his vantage point of the stadium. "Well! That was a fine battle, but I'm not going to let it interrupt your training!"

Everyone else but Ryu groaned. They got up, and as Kai and Max went up to the stadium, they heard a "RYYUUUU!"

Ryu sighed. This couldn't get much worse. He recognized the voice as Ozuma's. He turned around but was slightly scared at what he saw - It was Ozuma alright, but he was alone, and his eyes had changed to a blood red color.

"Oh great, what now?" Tyson asked. "Ryu already kicked you out of the city, why would you come back?"

"This is different. I have his abilities now." Ozuma walked over and opened his hand - Flash Leopard was also red. "I challenge you, Ryu! And this time, I WILL have Spirit Dragon!"

"Fine then!" Ryu said. He reset Spirit Dragon in his launcher. "Three!"

"Two!" Ozuma set up Flash Leopard.

"ONE! LET IT RIP!"

Launch RPMs Spirit Dragon: 54500 Flash Leopard Attack Mode: 54000

Flash Leopard was instantly all over Spirit Dragon. It kept hitting, a merciless barrge of attacks that left Ryu with no opening to evade or counter. His ETS aura flared with the big hits.

"Come on, Ryu! You can do better than that!" Ozuma said. "If you won't fight on your own, I'll FORCE you to!" Ozuma put the ripcord back in his launcher. "Charge! FLASH LEOPARD ATTACK MODE!"

Ozuma's BitBeast burst from his beyblade. They both roared. The fangs grew longer, the claws sharpened, the tail became more muscular, and the coat turned blood red. Flash Leopard stared Ryu down.

"You asked for it! Spirit Dragon, ATTACK!"

Ryu's BitBeast appeared in a brilliant display of lights. Spirit Dragon and Flash Leopard clashed, pushing against each other with massive amounts of strength. As Ozuma got fired up, the winds started to return. Spirit Dragon was fighting with his entire will, but Flash Leopard Attack Mode had far too much power. Ryu's beyblade was pushed all over the stadium.

Kenny poured over his laptop, making sure to record every bit of information. He constantly squelched the warning signs that kept popping up.

"How's it look, chief!" Tyson asked, fighting the roar of the wind.

"Ryu is getting pretty beat! He'll lose if he doesn't go into Attack Mode!"

Ozuma tried to go back into his super-fast attack pattern, but Ryu amazingly blocked him from disengaging. The two beyblades kept grinding against each other, though Ozuma was pushing Ryu back all the way.

"You're just making me mad!" Ozuma said. "Flash Leopard! CROSS FIRE!"

Flash Leopard was enveloped in its' black flame, then Spirit Dragon shot away from it. Now free from Ryu's defenses, Ozuma began hitting him hard again.

"Then let's do this!" Ryu said. "Charge! SPIRIT DRAGON ATTACK MODE!"

Spirit Dragon once again turned red, his claws and scales now looking more vicious. He roared, and caught Flash Leopard on one of his attack arcs. They ground against each other again, but this time neither one could gain ground!

"This kind of power isn't something you can play around with, Ozuma!" Ryu shouted. "I WILL defeat you!"

"That's just your bark! Let's see your bite! FLASH LEOPARD! SACRED FIRE!"

"SPIRIT DRAGON! HYPER SPIRIT TORNADO!"

The two beyblades broke off from each other, then clashed in the middle yet again. They bounced off, and flew through he air. Both landed on the very edge of the stadium - but Ryu kept moving. Spirit Dragon made fast circles around the stadium, but Ozuma just lazily hung in the center. Eventually, Flash Leopard reverted to its' normal color, then broke into thousands of points of light and retracted into the beyblade, which immediately stopped spinning. As Ozuma's beyblade fell, so did he, his eyes flashing back to their normal color before he fell unconscious.


End file.
